Chelsea’s £56m January goal in comparison with Arsenal star William Saliba | Football

Chelsea’s top January transfer goal Jeremy Jacquet is ‘the actual deal’ and has been in comparison with Arsenal defender William Saliba.

Jacquet, 20, has emerged as Chelsea’s No. 1 goal in the course of the January transfer window.

Despite only making 29 appearances for boyhood club Rennes in France, Jacquet is rated as one of the vital exciting young players in Europe.

Premier League leaders Arsenal have also shown interest in Jacquet but Chelsea look like on the front of the queue after agreeing personal terms with the player.

Chelsea have also held talks with Rennes but are currently a way apart when it comes to a transfer fee, with the Blues reluctant to pay greater than £50m and the Ligue 1 side wanting almost £60m.

Rennes sold Jeremy Doku to Manchester City for £55m in 2023 and are believed to be hoping for an excellent greater fee for French U19 Euros runner-up Jacquet.

If Chelsea complete a deal for Jacquet, he is predicted to go straight into Liam Rosenior’s first team as a substitute of going out on loan, as has been the case for a lot of the Blues’ signings lately.

French football expert Julian Laurens believes Jacquet is ‘the actual deal’ and understands why Chelsea are pursuing the ‘amazing’ talent, even comparing him with Arsenal star Saliba.

Saliba has developed into among the best defenders on this planet since signing for Arsenal in 2019.

Like Jacquet, Saliba got here through in Ligue 1 – impressing for Saint-Etienne before earning a £27m move to the Emirates Stadium.

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‘I believe he is the actual deal,’ Laurens told Sky Sports. ‘I do know he’s only 20 and has little or no experience, even in Ligue 1 because he hasn’t played for France or within the Champions League and even the Europa League.

‘There’s still an extended time to go for him but he’s been impressive since he was recalled from his loan within the second division last season.

‘He’s a player Liam Rosenior will know because he’s played against him and seen him in motion. You can’t get it fallacious, really, because he’s amazing and he’s going to be amazing.

‘He jogs my memory a little bit of William Saliba when he burst onto the scene in France at Saint-Etienne.

‘The query is how much do they value the potential and talent because he’s only 20 and you’re paying so much for somebody who hasn’t proved much because he hasn’t played many games.

‘So how much are Chelsea able to pay? Rennes want greater than Man City paid for Doku which was 64m euros. So Chelsea might want to pay a minimum of £60m which is quite a lot of money for such a young player.’

Chelsea are yet to make any January signings for brand spanking new head coach Rosenior, who replaced Enzo Maresca following his departure on Recent 12 months’s Day.

But ex-Chelsea defender Glen Johnson expects Stamford Bridge bosses to make ‘one or two’ signings before the January transfer window closes.

‘I believe Chelsea will back Liam in January so long as it’s a smart transfer,’ Johnson told Metro. ‘Chelsea have at all times backed their managers.

‘But they aren’t going to offer him a war chest in his first transfer window, they’ll need to see what he brings first. I believe they’ll make one or two signings this month just to offer Liam a few of his own players.

‘Liam and everybody on the club knows that Chelsea have already got a superb squad, and we have now seen glimpses of how good they will be under Maresca earlier within the season.

‘So, I believe Liam’s job is to get the team back to that sort of form. He must get the players all having fun with their football again after which achieve positive results consistently.

‘Once he has them in good form, they’ll be extremely hard to beat with the talent they’ve all around the pitch.

‘They’ve a very nice mix of older, more experienced players and youth throughout the squad, and each player is talented.

‘They’ve been ruthless in offloading and isolating players, and I believe they’ve one among the strongest squads within the league.

‘Nonetheless, Liam has to get them winning now, that’s the one thing he will likely be specializing in, and any transfer business will likely be a bonus for him.’

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